Ren Water in the Di Tian Sui: "Joins the Rivers," Line by Line
Ren Water (壬) is yang Water, usually pictured as rivers and the sea: water on the move. The Di Tian Sui gives it eight four-character lines: 壬水通河，能洩金氣，剛中之德，周流不滯，通根透癸，沖天奔地，化則有情，從則相濟。 This page takes the verse apart line by line and tests the lines that set out checkable conditions against real charts. For Ren Water as you, your personality, career and relationships, see Ren Water Day Master.
The verse, line by line
| Original | In English | Plain reading |
|---|---|---|
| 壬水通河，能洩金氣 | Ren Water joins the rivers and can drain off the qi of Metal. | Ren Water is rivers and the sea, yang Water, taking in the qi of Metal and keeping it flowing. |
| 剛中之德，周流不滯 | Firm, with virtue at its center, it flows everywhere and never stagnates. | Strong, but with virtue in its strength, it circulates in every direction without stagnating. |
| 通根透癸，沖天奔地 | Rooted below with Gui showing above, it surges to the sky and rushes over the land. | With roots in the branches and Gui Water showing on a stem, the Water is vast, surging to the sky and across the land. |
| 化則有情，從則相濟 | Transformed, it has feeling; following, it lends a hand. | Combining with Ding and transforming, it has feeling; going along with a dominant force, it helps that force along. |
Text follows the Di Tian Sui Chan Wei (滴天髓闡微), the edition with Ren Tieqiao's commentary. Commentators over the centuries have read some lines differently; we follow the more widely accepted reading.
How often the verse's conditions show up in real charts
Some lines set out conditions that can be checked on a chart: the season, whether a certain stem appears, whether an element runs heavy. Of the 16,802 charts our engine cast, about 1,680 have Ren Water as the day stem. Here is how they fall:
| Line | Condition checked | Share of charts |
|---|---|---|
| 能洩金氣 (can drain off the qi of Metal) | Metal in the chart | 93.3% (Metal on a stem: 58.0%) |
| 通根透癸 (Rooted below with Gui showing above) | Gui on a stem, with Hai or Zi in the branches | 12.5% |
| 化則有情 (Transformed, it has feeling) | Ding on a stem (Ding–Ren combine) | 25.9% |
How we counted: our engine cast one chart for every day from 1960 to 2005, with the birth hour drawn at random from a fixed seed, 16,802 charts in all, about 1,680 for each day stem. Each percentage uses that day stem's charts as the base. This describes how chart structures are distributed; it says nothing about anyone's luck.
Ren Water meets the other nine stems
| Meets | Element | Relationship | Combine / clash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Wood | Wood | I produce it | — |
| Yi Wood | Wood | I produce it | — |
| Bing Fire | Fire | I control it | Clash |
| Ding Fire | Fire | I control it | Combine (transforming to Wood) |
| Wu Earth | Earth | It controls me | — |
| Ji Earth | Earth | It controls me | — |
| Geng Metal | Metal | It produces me | — |
| Xin Metal | Metal | It produces me | — |
| Gui Water | Water | Same element, opposite polarity | — |
"I" in the table means Ren Water. For the full rules on stem combinations and clashes, see the Ten Heavenly Stems and stem and branch relations. When Ren Water is the day stem, these relationships become the Ten Gods; see the Ten Gods.
Ren Water on the year, month or hour stem
When Ren Water is not on the day pillar, it speaks about the area of life its position stands for: on the year stem, the river quality in your family and early surroundings; on the month stem, the river quality on your stage at work; on the hour stem, later life and long-term plans. Whether it helps or pressures you depends on how it relates to your day stem (the table above) and on your favorable elements.
What Ren Water needs in each birth month
The Di Tian Sui describes Ren Water's general nature. The Qiong Tong Bao Jian goes further and sets out, month by month, what Ren Water takes for climate adjustment in each of the twelve months; see Ren Water climate by month.
Your day stem in the Di Tian Sui: the verse's conditions, checked one by one
Enter your date of birth (the hour is optional). You will see your day stem's verse, whether each line that sets out a checkable condition holds in your chart, and whether your year, month and hour stems produce, control or combine with your day stem. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Uses your Gregorian birth date, with the day changing at 11 p.m. "On a stem" means it appears on the year, month or hour stem; "hidden in the branches" means it appears among the hidden stems of the branches.
A straight word: an old verse is a point of view, not a verdict
The Di Tian Sui is one of the most respected classical texts on BaZi from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and its section on the ten stems sums up each stem's nature and needs in four-character lines. Its strength is its brevity, and so is its weakness: commentators over the centuries have read the same line in different ways. We test the lines that set out checkable conditions against real charts and present the rest as written, without stretching them into predictions of good or bad fortune. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Does your chart have what Ren Water needs?
Enter your birth date to check your day stem's verse conditions one by one on your chart, and see whether your year, month and hour stems produce, control or combine with it.
Ren Water (Heavenly Stem) FAQ
What is the Di Tian Sui verse on Ren Water?
壬水通河，能洩金氣，剛中之德，周流不滯，通根透癸，沖天奔地，化則有情，從則相濟。 In English: "Ren Water joins the rivers and can drain off the qi of Metal. Firm, with virtue at its center, it flows everywhere and never stagnates. Rooted below with Gui showing above, it surges to the sky and rushes over the land. Transformed, it has feeling; following, it lends a hand." Eight lines in all.
What does "Ren Water joins the rivers and can drain off the qi of Metal" mean?
Ren Water is rivers and the sea, yang Water, taking in the qi of Metal and keeping it flowing.
What does "Firm, with virtue at its center, it flows everywhere and never stagnates" mean?
Strong, but with virtue in its strength, it circulates in every direction without stagnating.
What is the imagery of Ren Water?
Ren Water is yang Water, usually pictured as rivers and the sea: water on the move. The other Water stem is Gui Water; with the opposite polarity, it behaves quite differently.